INTEGRATED feed and food manufacturing company, Pandagric Novum, has reiterated its vision to contribute to supporting the delivery of Nigeria’s food security objectives and strengthening the agriculture value chain in country using an integrated approach.
Bruce Spain, Managing Director, Pandagric Novum, said the agriculture company is poised to redefine the future of agriculture in Nigeria through its innovative farming practices that have been developed to guarantee increased yields and food sufficiency.
“As a company, we have developed crop cultivation and management protocols for achieving the highest yields. We have invested heavily in testing and trials over the years and have discovered improved crop nutrition practices to get the best growth and yield results.”
This was the major thrust of a media briefing with the theme ‘Redefining Agriculture in Nigeria for the Future’, as part of pre-event activities in the run up to the official commissioning of the company in Nasarawa State.
The commissioning is under the auspices of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), the premier investment institution of the federation, and Signature Agri Investment, an investment portfolio agency based in The Netherlands.
In 2018, NSIA and Signature Agri Investments executed a Joint Venture agreement to establish an agriculture focused fund for the development of large-scale integrated projects across Nigeria. Pandagric Novum is the flagship project under this joint venture and has been developed as a platform for diversification and a path to enhancing Nigeria’s protein consumption per capita.
Uche Orji, Chief Executive Office & Managing Director, NSIA in his remarks said, “Agriculture is a key focus sector for the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority and an important sector for the Nigerian economy, with high potential for employment generation, poverty alleviation and ultimately food security.”
Uche said though the sector has largely been dominated by subsistence farming in the past, “the NSIA strongly believes that with improved modern methods, seedlings and better weather forecasting methods, agricultural yields can continue to grow.”
The NSIA as an investment institution of the Federal Government has a mission to play a leading role in driving sustained economic development for the benefit of all Nigerians.
The agency aims to develop the Nigerian agriculture sector enough to ensure increase production towards the satisfaction of local demand, as well as the development of requisite infrastructure to ensure improved product quality, facilitate import substitution and provide a driver of foreign exchange earnings from the exportation of agriculture produce.
Reiterating how Pandagric Novum is redefining the future of agriculture through increased crop yield, Bruce hinted that the goal of the company is “to achieve over 10 tonnes per hectare in the coming few years.
“However, if we can double our national average of maize from 1.5 tonnes per hectare to 3 tonnes per hectare using good genetics and farming practices, then we will double our national output. Nigeria very quickly will become a net exporter of maize and create food security.
In addition, we will reduce the negative environmental impact associated with opening and farming more land. We aim to get these practices into the farming communities and start to see yields and agricultural output rise in Nigeria”.
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